Rotary-cylinder engine.



No. 628,945. Patented July l8, 1899A.

W. LAWRENCE.

ROTARY CYLINDER ENGINE.

[Application filed Apr. 2, 1898.;

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

No. 628,945. Patented July I8, [899. W. LAWRENCE.

ROTARY CYLINDER ENGINE.

Application filed Apr. 2, 1898. I cm Modelfl 2 sheets-sheet 2..

FFICEt- VILLIAM LAVRENCE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ROTARY-CYLINDER ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Ili'atent No. 628,945, dated July18, 1899.

Application filed April 2, 1898. Serial No. 676,195. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM LAWRENCE, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the borough of Manhattan and State of New York,have invented and produced a new and useful Improvement inRotary-Cylinder Engines; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the figures marked on the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of an engine to which I haveapplied my improvements. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section withparts in elevation. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail longitudinal section ofthe valve and its connections. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view ofthe valve-actuating apparatus. Fig. 5 is a face view of the valve andsteamchest. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the valve on the opposite sidefrom that shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail transverse section throughthe line at of Fig. 1. Figs. Sand 9 are respectively detail views incross-section and elevation of the valve and cylinder-bearing 43, Fig. 8being a cross-section on the line 1 y of Fig. 9.

My invention consists in the following construction and combination ofparts, the details of which will first be described and the patentablefeatures then set forth and claimed.

The construction and operation of this e11- gine will be described inconnection with steam as an actuating vapor or fluid for purposes ofclearness; but it will be understood that gas, air, steam, or any othervapor or fluid may be employed as a motive force. I

In the drawings, 1 represents a bed-plate upon which the engine issupported.

2 and 3 are supporting plates or disks inclosing the cylinder andforming bearings for the drive-shaft, cylinder, valve, andvalveoperating devices.

4 is a plate or band forming, in connection with plates 2 and 3, thecasing, completely inclosing the cylinder and adapted to contain oil forlubricating the interior parts.

5 is a drive-shaft mounted centrally of the engine-casing and carrying adrive-pulley 6 and the disk, wheel, or crank 7 within the casin g, bothparts 6 and 7 being rigid with the shaft 5.

8 is a cylinder of the reciprocating type mounted in a bearing intheplate2 opposite the drive-shaft bearing and eccentric thereto or outof axial line therewith.

Piston 9 of cylinder 8 has a reciprocating movement, and the cylinderitself has'a rotary motion upon the spindle or shaft bearing 10 in theplate 2. Spindle 10 has 1ongitudinal channels 11 and 12, communicatingwith passages 13 and 14, leading to ports 15 and 16 in the opposite endsof the cylinder 8.

Channels 11 and 12 serve to alternately ad mit and exhaust steam fromeither side of the piston 9.

1'7 is a channel in spindle 1O betweenchannels 11 and 12, whichcommunicates with. the exhaust of the engine, it being provided with anopening or openings 18, leading to the annular channel 19, communicatingat all times with the exhaust-pipe 20.

21 is a steam-chest providedwith the oscillating valve 22, which valveis provided with a live-steam port 23 and an exhaustchannel 24:.

25 is a valve-spindle rigid with valve 22.

26 is the valve-stem, which is preferably cylindrical upon its inner endand adapted to interlock with the valve-stem 25 to control the action ofthe valve 22.

27 is a spring interposed between the stem 25 and spindle 26 to hold thevalve against its seat at all times. The hollow portion of valve-spindle26 is preferably perforated at 28 to permit the actuating-steam to passfreely through upon eitherside of the spindle. The spindle 26 is held inplace by a suitable stop, such as 50, engaging a portion of thespindle-casing.

29 is the live-steam inlet-pipe and enters the steam-chest alongside thevalve-spindle.

The valveoperating wheel or handle 30 is rigid with the spindle 26 andcarries a finger or stop 31, adapted to be controlled by stops 32 and 33for the purpose of limiting the throw of the valve in reversing theengine.

An intermediate position of the wheel 30 and finger 31 shuts off thesupply of steam and stops the engine.

The various operative parts are provided IOO erned by the valve in theusual way.

with stuffing-boxes and packing in the usual way.

The outer end of the piston-rod 84 is socured to a wrist-pin 35, havinga suitable journal 36, the wrist-pin being securely fastened to the diskor wheel 7.

The bearing for the drive-shaft 5 has its under section 37 supported bythreaded bolts 38 and plate 39, so that the weight of the shaft 5 iscarried on the bearing 37 and may be adj ustably set up toward the upperbearing 41 by means of the adjusting-nuts 40. The upper bearing 41 isrigid with and carried by the plate 3. By this means a very delicateadjustment of the shaft-bearing 5 is obtained. In like manner the sleeve42 of the bearing 43 upon the opposite side of the cylinder is splittransversely at 44 for about half of its circumference, and alongitudinal split 45 is made from the transverse split 44 to the outerend of the sleeve 42. Adj ustingscrews 46 are placed in an annular ring47 upon either side of the split 45 and serves to adjustably bear downupon the spring-sections of the sleeve 42, and as a result a verysensitive and delicate adjustment of this hearing is obtained.

. Interposed between the valve 22 and its valve-seat is the usualpacking and adjustment common to valves.

In operation if the engine is desired to be run to-the left thevalve-wheel 30 is turned to the left, and if desired to run to the rightwheel-finger 31 is turned to the right. An intermediate position stopsthe engine. Variations in the speed of the engine are gov- In Fig. 1 thepiston 9 has just completed its outward stroke and the valve has beenshifted so that its live-steam port 23 registers with the channel 11 andits exhaust-channel 24 establishes a communication between the channel12and the eXhaust-channel17. Steam thereupon enters the channel 11 andforces the piston to the opposite end of the cylinder and the steam inthe cylinder exhausted through channel 12 out through exhaust-pipe 20.The opposite position of the valve when live steam enters channel 12 andexhausts through channel 11, is shown in Fig. 3. The continuous rotarymotion of the cylinder and spindle 10 brings the live-steam and exhaustchannels of the valve alternatively in register with the channels 11 and12 and the continuous rotary motion of the cylinder is had in eitherdirection. The rotary motion of the cylinder and the reciprocatingmotion of its piston through the wrist-pin 35 and the wheel 7 serves toimpart a continuous rotary motion to the wheel 7 and drives the rotaryshaft 5 and its connections.

The drawings herein referred to exemplify simply the means of carryingout my invention. It will be understood that the principle of myinvention may be embodied in many difie'rent and specific ways. Forinstance, the wheel 7 may be simply a crank-arm and another pulley maybe provided to give steadiness of motion to' the engine. The casing ofthe engine may likewise be designed in various ways, as well as theparticular valve apparatus or other parts of the device.

I contemplate providing this engine with a governor device of anysuitable type.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecureby Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a cylinder, a cylinder-spindle upon which thecylinder rotates having a central exhaust-channel and inletchannels uponeither side thereof, a reciprocating piston and piston-rod, adrive-shaft, an arm or wheel upon the drive-shaft, a journal connectionbetween the piston-rod and armor wheel, and a valve having ports foropening and closing the channels in said spindle.

2. The combination of a cylinder, a cylinder-spindle upon which thecylinder rotates having a central exhaust-channel and inletchannels uponeither side thereof, a valve upon the end of the cylinder-spindle and aspindle-bearing having an annular exhaustchamber in communication withthe central exhaust-channel.

3. A re tary-spindle bearin g for a rotary cylinder provided with acentral exhaust-channel, and oppositely-disposed inlet and outletchannels a valve upon the end of the cylinder-spindle combined with aspindle-bearing having an annular exhaust-chamber therein, the centralexhaust-channel being provided with the transverse channel leadingtherefrom into the exhaust-chamber.

4. The combination of a rotary cylinder, a rotary-cylinder spindlesecured thereto having a central exhaust-channel and inlet-channels uponeither side thereof, and an oscillating valve having an inlet-portadapted to communicate alternately with the inlet-channels, and havingalso a passage or channel adapted to alternately communicate with theinlet-channels and the exhaust-channel.

5. The combination of a rotary cylinder, a rotary-cylinder spindlesecured thereto havin ga central exhaust and inlet channels upon eitherside thereof,and a spring-pressed valve adapted to register with theinlet and exhaust channels.

6. The combination of a rotary cylinder, at cylin der-spindle securedthereto having a central exhaust-channel and inlet-channels upon eitherside thereof, an oscillating valve adapted to control said channelsprovided with a valve-stem, a valve-spindle adapted to interlock withthe valve-stem and a spring connection between the valve-stem and thevalvespindle.

7. The combination of a rotary cylinder, a rotary spindle securedthereto having inlet and exhaust channels, an oscillating valve adaptedto control said channels having a valve-stem, a valve-spindle adapted tointei lock with said valve-stem, said spindle being hollow and providedwith perforations, and a spring interposed between the valve-stem andadapted to interlock with the valve-stem, a spindle.

spindle-casing having stops. thereon, and a 8. A disk valve providedWith asegmental valve-handle secured to the valve-spindle steam-inletport upon one side of the center carryinga finger adapted to oscillatebetween I5 5 and an exhaust-port channel upon the other, said stops.

both ports being on the same side of the valve, In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature said channel being a segmental-shaped recess in thepresence of two Witnesses. with an intermediate extension extendingWVILLIAM LAWRENCE. into the axial center of the valve.

10 9. In an engine, the combination of a cylinder, a valve provided witha valve-spindle 1 Vitnesses:

G. HENRY MEAD, CHRISTOPHER J. ORONIN.

